In Exxon's Shadow

As company leaves Aceh, a complex legacy remains

A ten-foot-tall barbed wire fence surrounds each of ExxonMobil's natural gas fields in Lhoksukon, Aceh. Photo by Emily Johnson
At the height of Aceh's separatist conflict more than a decade ago, 11 plaintiffs filed a human rights lawsuit against ExxonMobil, the world's largest private oil company. The lawsuit has been ordered to trial, pending a Supreme Court ruling. But now the company plans to sell its stake in the area, where gas reserves are dwindling. As ExxonMobil prepares to depart, Emily Johnson takes us to visit the people that it will be leaving behind. See also her radio piece here.